Capsule for soluble mixture

ABSTRACT

A capsule for soluble mixture assigned to the production of fluid food or beverage. The capsule comprises a container and a lid peripherally bounded to an annular edge of the container and perforable for inletting a liquid into the container in correspondence with the operating condition. The capsule further comprises a tubular duct having an inner end opening into the container volume and an outer end fixed to a base of the container, opposed to the lid, and leading outside for pouring the fluid food in correspondence with the operating condition. Said capsule, in an inactive condition preceding the operating condition, the inner end of the duct is configured to abut with the lid occluding the inner end as to prevent the outflow escape of soluble mixture. By the pressure of the liquid entered into the container in the operating condition, the lid, made of a material at least partially flexible and/or deformable, is configured to move away from that inner end opening to allow the dispensing of the fluid food through the outer end.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of supply and preparation of beverages and in particular it refers to a capsule for soluble mixture.

Prior Art

Capsules are known for coffee or soluble beverages machines, said capsules are constituted by a contained filled with a granular mixture and closed by means of a lid. In a storage condition of the container an inner end of such duct is in contact with the lid which closes such inner end avoiding the leak of the mixture. In a supply condition the lid has a series of opening or micro-slits which allow the outflow in pressure of the beverage correctly mixed.

The main disadvantage of the known capsules concerns the need to execute complex operations of piercing or milling of the portion of the lid near the outflow duct of the mixture.

Another disadvantage of the know capsules consists in the reduced contents of mixture, because of the need of not filling completely the capsule to allow a correct mix.

Further disadvantage of the known capsules consists in the difficulty to realise capsules containing soups with high quantity of solid pieces because in the supply phase the non-solute powders or the solid parts of the soups occlude the filters present in the known capsules limiting or blocking the flow outward, and reducing the contents of the supplied mixture.

Document WO 2014/102701 defines the general state of art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The main aim of the present invention is to propose a capsule for soluble mixture which will be cheaper to produce than the known capsules.

Another aim is to propose a capsule having a simplified structure and fit to be easily realized my means of forming.

Another aim is to propose a capsule completely filled with mixture for soups or potage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the invention are below underlined with particular reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of the capsule object of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a section view according to the plane II-II of the capsule of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a section view of the capsule of FIG. 1 in the supply operative condition;

FIG. 4 shows a section view of a first variant of the capsule of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows a section view of the capsule of FIG. 2 in a mixing operative condition;

FIG. 6 shows a section view of a second phase of the capsule of FIG. 2 in the supply operative condition.

BEST MODE TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to the FIGS. 1-6, 1 indicates the capsule for soluble mixture object of the present invention.

In the preferred embodiment, the capsule 1 is constituted by a container 2 slightly tapered glass-shaped with a lower base and an upper edge with larger diameter than the base. The container 2 is shaped as to be housed in a respective seat of a machine for preparation and supply of beverages, known and not shown, in correspondence with a supply condition of a beverage constituted by a liquid, such as water, poured into capsule 1 and mixing with the soluble mixture, such as coffee, tea, chamomile, powder chocolate, soups or potage present in the container 2.

The capsule for soluble mixture 6 further comprises a lid 10 peripherally bounded to an annular edge 12 of the container 2.

The lid 10 is pierceable for the inflow of the liquid in the container 2 in correspondence of an operative condition of pouring the liquid for the mix of the mixture to obtain a beverage or food.

The capsule furthermore comprises a tubular duct 20 formed with the container 2 near the end of this latter. The tubular duct 20 has an inner end flowing into the volume of the container and an outer end 24 bound to a base of the container 2, opposed to the lid 10, and flowing outward for the outflow of the fluid food in correspondence with the operative condition, i.e. the supply.

Preferably the longitudinal axis of the duct 20 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the capsule 1.

The capsule in an inactive condition, preceding the operative one, has the inner end 22 of the duct 20 matching with the lid 10 which occludes such inner end 22 avoiding the outflow of the soluble mixture 6.

The annular edge 12 of the container 2 and the inner end 22 of the duct 20 lie on the same geometric plane and in correspondence of the inactive condition the lid 10 lies on such geometric plane thus the contact of the inner end 22 of the duct 20 with the lid 10, besides avoiding the outflow of the soluble mixture 6 from the container 2, preserves unchanged its aroma.

In other word, in the inactive condition when the pressure inside the capsule 1 is equal or almost equal to the external pressure, said matching between the inner end 22 of the duct 20 and a central portion of the lid 10 occludes said inner end 22 preventing the unwanted exit of the soluble mixture consisting of powder, granules, micro pellets or the like. In most cases, the simple mutual contact between the lid 10 and the inner end 22, without addition of sealing material as glue or sticker and without gasket or the like, is enough to close the inner end 22 preventing the passage of granules, powder, micro pellets or other solid material of the soluble mixture.

The rigidity of the material of the container 2 and of the duct 20 is higher than the rigidity of the material of the lid 10. Such lid 10 is bound to the annular edge 12 of the container 2 by means of sticking, welding, crimping and/or by means of a peripheral ring with a high-resistance bound.

In the operative condition of the mix, after the pressure of the introduced liquid, the lid 10, made of at least partially flexible material and/or material capable of being deformed, detaches from said inner end 22 opening it and reaching the supply condition of the fluid food through the outer end 24.

In the preferred embodiment the container 2 and the duct 20 are made of a plastic rigid material and the lid 10 is made of a membrane or sheet of plastic material, aluminum, paper or its single or mutually coupled substitutes so that in correspondence of the supply condition of the beverage the lid 10 gets deformed creating a space between the inner end 22 and the lid 10.

A variant of the preferred embodiment provides for the lid 10 to be made of an elastic/resilient material membrane or sheet.

Another variant provides for the duct 20 and for the container 2 to be made of an integral body.

Another variant provides for the capsule to comprise adhesion means 14 interposed between the lid 10 and the inner end 22 of the duct 20 to realize between them a seal and a labile and removable fixing to allow the detachment and the deformation of the lid 10 in the operative condition and sealing the aroma and the solid content of the capsule in the inactive condition.

A further variant provides that the inner end 22 of the duct 20 protrudes outward the geometric plane of the annular edge 12; the distance between said inner end 22 and said geometric plane ranging from 0.1% to 5% of the diameter of the annular edge 12. The the lid 10 of this variant is made of an elastic/resilient material membrane or deformable sheet and improve the aroma preservation in respect to the first embodiment.

Such capsule provides for the volume comprised between the walls of the container 2 and the duct 20 to be completely filled with the soluble mixture 6.

The main advantage of the present invention is to provide a capsule for soluble mixture which is cheaper to realize with respect to other known capsules for soups.

Another advantage is to provide a capsule having a simplified structure and fit to be easily realized by means of forming.

Another advantage is to provide a capsule completely filled with mixture for soups and potage. 

1. A capsule for soluble mixture, in an operating condition intended to the production of fluid food or beverages, comprising: a container; a lid peripherally bounded to an annular edge of the container and perforable for inletting a liquid into the container in correspondence with the operating condition; a tubular duct having an inner end opening into a volume of the container volume and an outer end fixed to a base of the container, opposed to the lid, and leading outside for pouring the fluid food or beverages in correspondence with the operating condition, wherein responsive to the capsule being in an inactive condition, set before the operating condition, the inner end of the duct is configured to abut in mutual contact with the lid occluding the inner end to prevent the escape of the soluble mixture and that by the pressure of the liquid entered into the container, in the operating condition the lid, made of a material at least partially flexible and/or deformable, is configured to move away from that inner end opening of the tubular duct to allow the dispensing of the fluid food or beverages through the outer end.
 2. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the annular edge of the container and the inner end opening of the tubular duct lie on the same geometric plane and, in correspondence with the inactive condition, the lid lies on the same geometric plane.
 3. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the lid is constrained to the annular edge of the container by gluing, welding, crimping, and/or through a perimeter ring with a high strength bond.
 4. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein a material rigidity of the container and of tubular duct is greater than a material rigidity of the lid.
 5. The capsule according to claim 4, wherein the container and the tubular duct are made with a rigid plastic material and the lid is realized with a membrane or sheets of plastic material, aluminum, paper or its individual substitutes or mutually coupled.
 6. The capsule according to claim 4, wherein the lid is realized with a membrane or sheet of elastic and/or resilient material.
 7. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the tubular duct and the container are in a single body.
 8. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the tubular duct is fixed to the container near a bottom of the container.
 9. The capsule according to claim 1, further comprising adhesion means interposed between the lid and the inner end opening of the tubular duct to create therebetween a seal and a labile and removable fastening to allow the detachment and deformation of the lid in the operative condition.
 10. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the volume between walls of the container and the tubular duct is completely filled with the soluble mixture. 